


Just Breathe

by hplm86



Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: Choices: Stories You Play - Freeform, F/M, Lemon, The Royal Romance, drake walker - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-11 14:13:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13525989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hplm86/pseuds/hplm86
Summary: This fan fiction starts JUST as TRR book 2 ended. After Drake Walker gets shot, shielding you from a bullet, will he be ok? What does this mean for your relationship?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There's a lot of Liam in this chapter, but don't worry - no Liam romance. This is PURE DrakeXMC. Expect lemons in later chapters, I should be updating this often. Hope you enjoy! 

The sound of the gunshot was deafening.

Her ears were ringing so badly, it took Riley a few seconds to realize that the distant screaming she could hear was coming from her own throat. It was hoarse and guttural, a sound she didn’t know she could make.

“Drake, DRAKE!” she sobbed. His face was so relaxed it was like he was sleeping. The normal lines between his brows were gone, his eyes closed in what could be mistaken for restful slumber. If you didn’t see the growing spot of red blood on his shirt, everything seemed  _perfectly normal_.

Just seconds earlier, an assassin had aimed a shot in Riley’s direction, and Drake had jumped in front of it. The image played over and over in her mind.

Using strength she didn’t know she had, Riley pulled Drake’s large body to the side, behind a pillar, away from the guns and the loud fighting in the middle of the ballroom.

The sharp sound of shattering glass caught her attention, she darted back around the pillar to see hundreds of official-looking Cordonian policemen stream into the ballroom through the windows, overtaking the assassins and pulling them away. Liam’s face, bloody from combat, looked momentarily triumphant. His look quickly turned to worry as his eyes landed on Drakes still body.

Riley was in shock. She could see Liam running over to Drake, ripping off his blood stained shirt, bellowing to staff members to get him supplies, finally covering the coin-sized wound on Drake’s chest with plastic wrap and tape.

Her heart ached, thudding loudly in her chest. _That bullet was meant for me. Oh Drake. After all we’ve been through…_

She felt numb. Riley blinked her tears away, the feeling slowly coming back to her fingertips. _No. It can’t end this way._

With sudden resolve, Riley ran to grab Drake a blanket, wrapping him tenderly, leaning her head in to listen to his chest. If he was in shock, this would help. She was distantly aware that Liam was calling the paramedics, begging them to get to the palace as soon as possible. Finally, after agonizing seconds of nothing, she could hear it – small, whistling, labored breaths. She sobbed involuntarily.

_He’s alive._

The rest of the events in the ballroom were a blur, but paramedics arrived on the scene, letting Liam and Riley to jump into the ambulance as they rushed Drake to the hospital. One of the paramedics put a facemask on Drake, allowing oxygen to flow through his body. Riley grabbed and held one of his pale hands during the ride, rubbing her thumb absentmindedly over his callouses. _Be ok, Drake._

A soft hand landed on her shoulder. “Riley…”

Liam’s eyes were filled to the brim with pain. Riley bowed her head with guilt. Since Drake got shot, she had been worrying about _their_ future together, _their_ life, and _her_ feelings. She hadn’t stopped to think that Liam had possibly lost his best friend. Not letting go of Drake, Riley used her free hand to squeeze Liam’s shoulder.

Liam’s lip was split and he had a black eye. If there was one thing she could say about her good friend _the king,_ it’s that he wasn’t going to sit back and let other people do his fighting for him. She smiled weakly. He was a wonderful person, one of a kind, and someone she’d cherish as a friend for the rest of her life. _But Drake…._

She gulped. She had wanted more than friendship from Drake. _I still want more than friendship from Drake,_ she corrected herself.

“He came back for _me,_ to Cordonia _,”_ Liam’s normal confident tone had been reduced to a sad whisper, “to the palace. His father died protecting _my father._ It can’t….this can’t happen…”

He closed his eyes.  Riley turned to Drake, kissing his hand gently, and then softly put it down to his side. She turned to Liam and hugged him tightly, needing the reassurance as much as he did.

She pulled away, looking Liam in the eyes, “don’t give up.” When she was in shock, Liam had taken over and been strong. It was her turn.

He looked embarrassed and nodded quickly, wiping some moisture away from his bruised eye carefully.

They both jumped as the paramedic spoke, “His lungs aren’t doing so great,” he looked at both of them with some concern, “it’s a good thing we got there so quickly.”

Riley was desperate to ask if the paramedic thought he’d make it. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the answer, so she just nodded.

As they pulled into the hospital, doctors and nurses rushed to push Drake inside. An elderly nurse apologized profusely to Liam, asking him to stay out of the hospital room until further notice. It was easy to forget that Liam was a king from time to time; it was strange to see someone acting so formally in front of him.

He politely thanked the nurse, who pulled them into a private waiting room, closing the door behind her. Liam dropped heavily into a blue padded chair, his face in his hands. Riley took the chair next to him, leaning back and closing her eyes. The room was surprisingly quiet, other than the occasional _clack, clack_ of nurses’ shoes passing by the door. The silence sat like a dark cloud in the room, the events of the night running through both of their minds.

“Riley,” Liam finally said, weakly, “are you ok? I know Drake was… he was…”

Riley gulped. Liam had just been attacked in his own home. Liam’s best friend had just been shot. Liam had just been rejected by… _her_ for Drake. She once again felt a pang of guilt.

“I’ll….be ok, Liam,” she said finally, “I have to be. For Drake.”

Liam nodded solemnly. Whatever this was, whatever happened to Drake, at least they could go through it together. It was a small consolation, but it was something. Riley grabbed Liam’s hand and squeezed it, not letting go.

“Liam….” She broke the silence finally, “Who were those people? The….the assassins. Do you know?”

Liam looked pale. “I honestly have no idea. I couldn’t identify anything from their accents, their clothing…. nothing,” he ran his fingers through his hair.

She patted his arm softly. He looked tired. For the first time, she could see the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders.

They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. The elderly nurse poked her head in, bowing it slightly in Liam’s direction. “Your highness,” she started, “could you come here? We’d like to discuss the patient.”

Riley stepped out with Liam, hanging on the nurse’s every word, hungry for _any and all_ information. Something called a  _Sucking chest wound. Surgery._  A _c_ _ollapsed lung._

The words echoed in Riley’s mind. This was serious.

“Will he be ok?” she finally interrupted. She couldn’t wait any longer for the answer.

The Nurse looked to Liam, who nodded curtly. “Riley is Drake’s…family,” his eyes looked sad, but full of resolve, “any information you have about Drake Walker should go to her.”

The nurse bowed apologetically. “Miss, it’s too soon to tell. The doctor is doing all he can.”

Riley’s heart dropped. She was hoping for something more positive.

“You both should go home and get some rest. We’re scheduling a surgery for Mr. Walker soon, we can keep you notified of any changes.”

“No,” Liam and Riley said simultaneously. They both knew that going home would make this _more real_ somehow.

But Liam was the king of a land in crisis.

Riley put a hand on her friends’ shoulder. “Liam, I’ll stay. You need to figure out what’s going on. I haven’t heard from Maxwell or Hana for the past few hours, I’ve checked my phone a few times. I’m sure we just lost them in the panic, but they need you. Cordonia needs you.”

Liam sighed deeply. “You’re probably right,” he smiled a dazzling smile, “just another reason you would have made a great queen. Or duchess,” he added quickly. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be _either_ at this point.

He squeezed her hand lightly. “Please let me know if you need anything. I can be here in 20 minutes, you just need to ask. Keep me updated.”

She squeezed back, “thank you. I will.”

Liam spoke quickly to the nurse, explaining the situation, looked at Riley with a sad smile, and disappeared.

Riley exhaled heavily. She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath. She knew it was the best for Liam to go, but she hadn’t wanted him to. The increased silence without his breathing was almost overbearing. She slipped into the bathroom attached to the waiting room to splash some water on her face.

What looked back at her in the mirror stopped her in her tracks. She was still wearing a golden ball gown, her tiara hanging limply from the soft, dark curls around her face. She pulled it out and threw it the ground, noticing a small blood splatter on the gown by her waist. Her fingers ran over the stained fabric. _Drake._

Wearing a ballgown, a tiara, and the hours she had spent on her hair seemed so strange now. All that mattered was a silly, tall, unbelievably selfless man who had put himself in harms’ way to save _her._ He had stood in front of a bullet for _her._

 

Just hours before he was shot, they had shared their first moments of passion together.The way he had looked at her when he saw what she was wearing....

Her breath hitched as tears streamed down her eyes. She _needed_ to get out of this ball gown.

***** 

Riley leaned back in the same blue chair in the waiting room. The hospital gift shop had yielded some black yoga pants and an XXL, blue t-shirt that had “Cordonia” sprawled across the chest in loopy, red cursive. She had almost stuffed her ball gown in the trash, but ended up feeling strangely sentimental about it. It was folded in the seat beside her. _What if that was the last thing Drake saw you in?_

She shook her head. There was no time for thoughts like that right now. _Not like I’m doing much anyway,_ she thought wistfully. She just wanted to know what was going on.

Playing with her phone hadn’t helped. She had texted with Liam for a few minutes, but learning that he couldn’t find Maxwell or Hana just made her feel worse. She silently prayed that they were found safe soon.

There were no windows in the waiting room, but her phone told her it was nearly 9 AM. She had been in the hospital for nearly 12 hours.

“Miss?” the nurse was back.

“Yes?” Riley croaked, jumping out of her chair, “How is he?”

The nurse’s face was stoic. “We just finished the surgery. Would you like to see him? He’s stable….. for now.”  Riley’s face dropped at the last part.

“I would very much like to see him.” It wasn’t a lie, but Riley wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.

She walked a few paces behind the nurse to Drake’s room. She gasped when the door opened.

There he was, his messy hair pushed to the side, his eyes closed. Machines were attached to him, a face mask on, a tube sticking out of his chest. His lips and fingers were a bit blue, but machines displayed his slow, steady heartbeat. His chest moved up and down weakly, breathing.

“He’s a fighter.”

The sound of a deep, female voice startled Riley. The doctor moved in to the room, scribbling something in a notebook.

“He had a collapsed lung. We managed to patch it up, and he _should_ heal. But it’s going to take a while before he’s 100%. Also, absolutely,” the doctor grasped Riley’s arm, “do NOT let him smoke.”

Riley almost didn’t hear anything after ‘he should heal.’

“I won’t,” she whispered, her face relaxing into a real smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t!”

The doctor didn’t seem to notice the change in Riley’s attitude. “Good. I’ll give you some time alone. He should be waking up soon. Let me know if you need anything, Mrs. Walker.”

With that, she turned and closed the door behind her.

Riley’s eyes widened. _Mrs. Walker._

Even with the odd timing, she wanted to write it on her notebooks, whisper it to herself, and yell it from the rooftops. _Mrs. Walker._ Something she hadn’t even dared to imagine before. She shook her head. They had _just_ told Liam that they wanted to be together, and Drake had a lot of healing to do. This wasn’t the right time.

Her thoughts were interrupted by movement. From the corner of her eye, Riley saw Drake’s fingers’ flex tentatively.

She turned to him, hopeful, taking his hand in hers and using the other to sweep some hair out of his face. Even blue, tied up to several machines, and fighting for life – Drake looked strong. His wide shoulders stretched the thin fabric of his hospital shirt.

“Drake?”

After a few seconds, a cough. And then another. Then another. Then a deep, raspy inhale. Riley’s eyes scanned his face, “Drake?”

 

Slowly, his eyes fluttered, and for the first time in what seemed like years, two deep, brown eyes looked back at her. They were alarmed at first, then warm. His voice was gravelly and low.

“Brooks?”

******


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After TRR book 2, Drake went to the hospital, had surgery, but woke up! What's in store for him and Riley next? 
> 
> Adult themes ahead and LEMON. Please beware if you're underage or uncomfortable. Thanks!
> 
>  
> 
> *****************************************************************************************************

He remembered seeing the gun, almost glimmering in the soft light of the chandeliers in the ballroom.

_No._

Every thought, every rational consideration left his mind. Anything and _everything_ he had to do was to protect her. As adrenaline pumped through his body, the bullet hurtling towards her almost sounded like it was humming. The thought of a life without Riley flashed through his mind, and his body swerved easily in front of hers.

Then there was sharp pain. _So sharp_ it sucked his breath away.  Shock. And then darkness.

The darkness was punctuated by a few blurred memories: a stifled sob, distant sounding sirens, and the feeling of a warm hand in his. Then darkness again.

A blurry light filled his view. “Drake?” he heard her, her voice barely a whisper. He willed his eyes to open, to see her, to know she was okay.

As his vision adjusted, there she was. Her hazel eyes bright and open, looking at him in a way that made his knees weak: _expectant and excited._

_Riley._

He could fill a lifetime with looks like that.

For that moment, his entire existence was there, looking into those eyes. He felt nothing and could focus on nothing else. Was this heaven? If it was, he’d take it.

Quickly disproving the heaven theory, a dull ache filled his chest. He coughed dryly, suddenly aware of the beeps, bandages, and machines tangled up around him.

He reached his hand out weakly, expecting air, pleasantly surprised when a soft hand grabbed it immediately, holding it against her chest. She stared, locking eyes with him for several moments.  

He interrupted the silence, surprising even himself by how dry and rough his voice sounded, “Jeez.  I know I’m beautiful, Brooks, but your staring is starting to make me blush.”

 She didn’t take the bait. She didn’t throw back sarcasm, joke, or roll her eyes. Her face broke out into a wide smile, her eyes starting to glisten. “You’re okay!”

His body jerked upwards instinctively, longing to use his thumb to brush away her tears. The wire attached to his chest protested, holding him down. He winced at the pain. She patted his arm. “Stay still. I’m here. I’m here as long as you need me to be.”

He was about to protest, but a soft kiss on his palm calmed him. He closed his eyes again. For the first time in his life, he was sure:   _she’s not leaving._

****

The hours turned into days. True to her word, Riley only left to shower, change, and check on Liam, Hana and Maxwell. According to Riley, Hana and Maxwell had been briefly missing after assassins swarmed the palace, taken as hostages to bribe the King. Luckily, they had been found by the police and released, recuperating safely at the Beaumont estate.

Riley chastised Drake often for putting himself in harms’ way, but he knew he’d take a hundred bullets again if it meant she’d stay safe.

Savannah, Bartie, and Liam came in and out throughout the day, making sure Drake was okay. His sister fussed over him incessantly and Liam tried to distract him with other things: the whiskey he had bought to share with Drake in the future, hijinks at court, and reassurances that everything in the palace was fine.

But if he was honest with himself, the only thing Drake looked forward to was when they left at 7, and he was left alone with Riley.

A week into his recovery, Drake was healing well and hooked up to considerably less machines. Savannah fussed over the state of his long hair, kissed him on the forehead, and left. Drake caught the meaningful look she gave Riley as she stepped out of the hospital room, a small nod of appreciation.  He could’ve sworn Savannah’s eyes looked a little moist.

Riley closed the door behind her, sitting on one of the wooden chairs in his hospital room and stifling a yawn. He knew she didn’t sleep well on those chairs, and had told her several times he understood if she needed to leave for the night.

But she never left.

And though he’d never admit it, Drake didn’t know if he could manage without her. If he had a guess at the reason he was healing so well, it was the short, bouncy, bright woman in front of him, telling him a story about her first crush.

“So then, I _knew_ his name was Justin, but I thought it’d be cool to pretend I didn’t know who he was,” she paused to laugh, “So I kept calling him ‘Joe,’ assuming it would _somehow_ make him like me more. Unsurprisingly, he assumed I didn’t like him and didn’t talk to me again. I don’t know, I guess I was a little silly,” she shrugged.

“ _Was?_ Past tense? _”_ he cocked his eyebrow up dramatically. She hit him (very gently) with a hospital pillow.

He frowned. Drake could tell she was always holding herself back with him, afraid that she’d hurt him. He missed the rough, stolen kisses, the uninhibited touching, and the last time they spent _considerable time alone together._ He gulped audibly. Thinking back to that gold dress slipping down her back….

Drake sighed. They had barely hugged a few times since he woke up in the hospital. He tried not to take it personally. After all, he _had_ just taken a bullet to the chest and undergone surgery. But the fear that he _just wasn’t good enough for her_ would creep in every now and then and make it _feel_ personal.

He shook his head.  _Focus, you idiot. She’s here for you, isn’t she?_ He looked at the woman in front of him, keeping him company. He could scarcely believe it, but she didn’t even seem to mind being there.

She fussed over his food, asked the doctors hundreds of questions, and when she thought he was asleep, he would sometimes catch her looking at him. She occasionally brushed the hair out of his eyes or wiped beads of sweat off of his face.

His doctor had finally unhooked him from almost everything, and his left side was completely unrestrained. “Hey, uh, Brooks?”

“Hmm?” she looked up from her phone. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, a few stray tendrils framing her oval-shaped face. His breath hitched. She was doing that _thinking_ pout she did sometimes, accentuating the shape and fullness of her lips _._ Drake wanted more than anything to kiss her.

“So my entire, uh, left side is free of any sort of wires. Do you want to join me up here tonight? Plenty of room,” he patted the side of the bed.

She hesitated; he could see her holding her breath as her mind went through some heavy considerations. A lump started forming at the base of his throat. Sure they had slept together recently, but maybe her feelings had changed.  Since then, they had just hugged. _Just hugged._ Was this her way of saying that she felt for him…. as a _friend?_ A friend who had risked his life for her, sure, but was he crossing a line asking her to sleep by him?

He suddenly felt queasy. “You know, Brooks, what I did for you….. I did it with no strings attached. I appreciate you being here for me, but you don’t owe me anything. If your feelings have changed, I’d understand.”

His voice was a bit gruffer than he had intended. He wished it wasn’t dripping with pain, but he didn’t have the energy to pretend anymore.

She stared at him in stunned silence, her eyes wide. Her lip started to quiver, “how could you even _say_ that?”

 “What?”

“You heard me, Drake Walker. How could you _even SAY that?”_

He sighed. How was it that even when he was trying to be understanding, he messed up?

“I’d understand if you need some space…”

With that she stood up and glared at him, putting her hand up. “ _Stop_ trying to push me away. I’m not going _anywhere. What’s the matter with you?_ What do I need to do to show you how much I care about you? _”_

He could see the hurt in her eyes and wanted more than anything for it to stop, for here to smile again. “It’s just…. Since I’ve been in here, we’ve talked and laughed…and done, you know, _friend_ stuff….”

She put her finger to her mouth to shush him, threw off her shoes, and climbed into the hospital bed with Drake. After a small huff and a glare, she held his face with both of her hands and pulled him into a hard kiss. It started chaste enough, but within a few seconds her mouth became more pliable, her tongue slipping into his mouth. He groaned, his hand around her waist, pulling her closer in.

She pulled away abruptly. “Is that what you needed? Do I need to do this every _single day_ so you don’t forget how I feel about you?”

He nodded breathlessly.

“I was just worried about, oh _I don’t know,_ your collapsed _lung,_ you insufferable dolt.”

He smiled. Despite the insult, there was no bitterness in her voice.  “Are you saying you take my breath away, Brooks?” She swatted his arm, not so gently this time, “Because it’s true. You do take my breath away.”

He kissed her again, softly this time. Feeling a painful twinge in his body, he pulled back quickly and leaned the other way, coughing.

She rolled her eyes, her face half annoyance and half concern. “See? This is why we still _need to take it easy.”_

Drake coughed again in response and nodded, breathing hard. He smiled as she settled in beside him, her head resting on his shoulder, her arm draped across his chest. Within seconds, her breathing slowed, and she was asleep.

The days of sleeping on a chair had obviously worn her out. Kissing her forehead, he drifted off into the most peaceful slumber he could remember.

****

“Ah- _hem.”_

Riley woke with a start, looking up to the doctor’s bemused face, her foot tapping impatiently. She could feel Drake stirring, too. He opened his eyes and rubbed them gingerly.

“I see you guys got some rest,” she flipped through the clipboard she was holding, “Well, Mr. Walker, _way_ earlier than expected, it looks like you can get out of here today.”

Riley broke out into a wide smile. _Home._ They could finally go home! Drake’s expression was unreadable, but he nodded, “Thanks, Doc.”

She continued to flip through her clipboard, “We’ll get that paperwork done ASAP, and you should be free to go! You’ll have to continue some antibiotics and rest as much as possible, but…. everything looks good,” She paused for effect, “Call me if anything, and I mean _anything,_ happens that doesn’t feel right.”

“Thank you so much for fixing him up, Doctor,” Riley smiled. This wasn’t a dream. He was okay. _Really okay!_

The doctor nodded. “Mr. Walker, Mrs. Walker,” and closed the door with a curt _click._

Riley couldn’t help herself from grinning when Drake’s eyes widened, first from shock and then embarrassment. “Brooks, I didn’t say….I didn’t tell them…”

“Oh stop,” she stifled a giggle, “They called me _that_ earlier and I just didn’t correct them, that’s all. I guess they just _assumed_ when they saw me sticking around.” She tried to shrug nonchalantly, but stared at Drake’s face for any sort of reaction. Again, his eyes were unreadable but she could’ve sworn she saw the edges of his mouth twitch up into a brief smile.

She left the room to call Liam, and he coordinated for Drake’s truck to be parked in the hospital’s garage so they could drive home.

When Riley walked back into the room, Drake was in the middle of pulling on his tight, maroon henley t-shirt, the one they had bought together in New York. She inhaled sharply. A week of being in a hospital gown had almost made her forget how good his arms looked in tight clothing, how she could see every muscle move as he gathered things.

“You gonna help, or just gawk at me, Brooks?” he winked at her wolfishly, “But by all means, enjoy the view.”

She tried to play it off with a dry laugh, “yeah, yeah. Here, let me help you carry that,” she lurched towards her overnight bag, he dodged easily.

“Nuh-uh, Brooks. I may be a little worse for wear, but I can still handle this,” his voice softened, “You’ve done so much. Let me do this for you.”

She considered reminding him that he had recently saved her life, but thought better of it. She could sense there’d be a lot of disagreements in the coming weeks… _years,_ and decided to choose her battles.

****

True to his word, Liam’s driver had parked Drake’s red truck on the first floor of the garage. As Drake opened the back door to place Riley’s backpack on the seat, she noticed him wince. “Hey,” she put a hand on his shoulder, “let me drive. You’ve been through enough. That way you can recline and relax.”

He smirked like he was about to give her a sarcastic response, but flinched with pain once again, his hand going to his chest. He sighed, “That might be for the best.”

They settled into the car, Riley adjusting the seat on the driver’s side from the furthest to the closest setting, “damn, you’re tall,” she muttered.

“And you’re short,” he chuckled, before leaning the passenger seat back so he could close his eyes and relax. She smiled at him.

She could get used to this. Not Drake being hurt, but just the…ease of this. She could get used to the comfortable silences, the easy conversation and _knowing_ that they could be together.

As she put the key in the ignition she stopped. “Wait…where are we going?”

Drakes eyes popped open. She could tell he hadn’t considered it, either.

“Well,” he started slowly, “we could always head to the palace. Or we could, you know,” he looked at her with such intensity that she blushed, “head _home.”_

 _Home._ What did that even mean? Was it New York? Her tiny apartment, though warm, seemed so distant now. The palace definitely wasn’t home, nor the hospital. Her eyes drifted to Drake’s, he held his gaze steady in her direction.  _Could a person be home?_

“Sounds good. Tell me which way to go.”

****

 _We’re going to Drake’s house._ Riley felt a flutter of excitement inside of her.

Since he hadn’t stayed there since the start of the social season, they stopped to pick up some groceries and grab lunch at a diner. Stuffing his face with a hamburger, Drake had been relieved to get something that wasn’t hospital food. Riley delighted in two cappuccinos, similarly happy to distance herself from the weak coffee available at the hospital café.  

Riley continued to relish being around him. Just a week ago, there had been a point where she thought she’d never be able to speak to him again, and she wasn’t going to take their time together for granted. At every red light, every stop, she looked at him.

Since he had been in the hospital, his dark hair was a bit longer, and the scruff on his face was more pronounced. She shuddered, thinking about how that scruff would fee on her skin, but snapped herself out of it.

_Focus, Riley. You’ve got to drive._

Drake had rolled down his window in the truck, taking in the cool air and distant smell of apples. He turned to look at her, his eyes so soft she couldn’t bear to look into them. She didn’t have to ask. She knew he wasn’t going to take _their_ _life_ for granted, either.

It was nearly evening by the time they made it to the house. It was Drake’s parent’s old home, so deep into the woods that the final road they took was unpaved, lined by thick layers of trees on either side. Finally, they came to a clearing, and there it was. Riley tried to ignore the fact that Drake’s eyes kept drifting to her, expectantly, as she took the house in.

It was a cacophony of styles, some brick parts, some wood, but it all looked sturdy and inviting. It was obvious that rooms were added years after the original brick construction was finished. An odd turret jutted out on the left side. The turret was so small, Riley wondered if Drake’s parents had built it for the kids to play in.

Deep in thought, she became increasingly aware that Drake wasn’t breaking his gaze, still looking at her, expectant as ever.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, meaning it truly, to her core. It was a testament to everything Drake stood for. The house had no rules, no strict confinements – but it _worked._ It was a far cry from the straight lines and columns of the houses of nobles, rigid in their order.

Drake sighed with relief. “Take a look around, I’ll take the food inside and tidy up a tiny bit before you come in.”

She nodded, getting out of the truck and letting her feet land on the dried leaves with a _crunch._ She leaned back and inhaled deeply, the smell of dirt and pine overloading her senses. She walked around the cottage, the back of it only 20 feet away from the start of a small pond and a backdrop of tall trees.

The air was cool, wind rustling the leaves in the trees and the leaves on the ground. The sky was darkening, a heavy blanket of grey clouds stretched out as far as she could see. She saw a hint of the sky lighting up in her peripheral vision, followed by the low, rumbling sound of thunder in the distance.

Deep in thought, she wasn’t sure how long she had been staring when a pair of strong arms went around her waist and a warm mouth grazed her ear. She took a moment to respond, reveling in the warmth of his arms, coupled by the increasing chill in the air and the smell of earth filling her nose. She felt the warning of a fat water droplet on her shoulder.

“Hey,” she breathed.

“Enjoying the view?” he paused as she leaned into his embrace, nodding, “we don’t have to head inside just yet, if you don’t want.”

 “No way, Walker,” she teased, “It’s time for me to see where you live when you aren’t gallivanting around with princes.”

She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the front of the house. He opened the door for her, bowing a little, “M’lady.”

Whatever Riley had been expecting on the inside of his house, it wasn’t this. The house was all warm woods, brown leathers, with hints of copper in the form of big planters at the corners of the small living room. They walked through all of the rooms, the bathrooms, Drake’s bedroom, and the small but functional kitchen. Paintings of horses, abstract and traditional, covered the walls.

“My mom was a painter, and she…she loved horses,” his voice was tinged with sadness.

Riley smiled, putting a hand against Drake’s scruffy cheek, “just like you.”

He grabbed her hand and kissed it, his brown eyes full of longing.

“Oh!” she almost yelped, seeing a picture on a side table. It had a swarthy, handsome man, bearded and beaming, holding a delicate blonde woman.  In front of them were two children, a boy and a girl. The girl smiled broadly, while the boy looked like he’d rather be elsewhere. Riley’s eyes widened, “is this _you?”_

Drake cleared his throat, “um…yes.”

She couldn’t tear her eyes away. Tiny Drake, even as a child, was somewhat broody. Her finger tips ran along the length of the photo. “You must’ve been a terror,” she laughed.

He looked a little hurt for a second, but broke out into a slow smile, “I suppose I was. Maybe sometimes I still am,” he shrugged.

She mock frowned in agreement, shrugging exaggeratedly, “Maybe, maybe,” and yelped when he pulled her hard towards him, crushing her in a wanton kiss, his mouth desperate and bruising. She melted into him, having wanted nothing more than _this_ since she knew he was doing okay in the hospital.  It took her a few seconds before she came to.

_Hospital…._

“Mmmm!” she exclaimed pulling away from him. “Drake,” her voice was breathy and low, “You know I want this,” she ran her hand down his chest, “but you’re still healing Drake, I just don’t know if this is the right time.”

She could see the mixture of hurt and understanding in his eyes. She bit her lip, wondering if she was doing the right thing.

He released her, looking down, not meeting her gaze, “I understand. I’m going to take a quick shower.”  His voice was soft.

With that, he stepped away from her, and out of sight.

****

Finding the living room a little awkward, Riley had moved to Drakes bedroom, sitting on the edge of his queen sized bed. She sighed. She knew Drake understood her dismissal, but didn’t know if he truly understood _how hard it was for her_ to turn him away _._

All she wanted to do was to be touched by his calloused hands, grab that thick mop of hair, and feel the friction of his stubble all over her body. She gulped. She had to say something to Drake. Riley wasn’t sure what she was going to say when he got out of the shower, but she’d have to say _something._

The curtains in his bedroom were closed, and the room was getting progressively darker. She could hear thunder outside, still a distant rumble. Riley shivered.

She heard the water stop, and held her breath as Drake made his way to the bedroom.

“Brooks,” he smiled, opening the door, “I thought I’d find you in here.”

He had a towel wrapped around his bottom half, his hair was damp, and the smell of clean shampoo emanated from him. The wound on his chest was freshly dressed. A few droplets of water clung to his defined abs, some venturing down into the “V” that pointed downwards. He walked towards her, leaning down to kiss her delicately. “You were right. I’m sorry, let’s take this slow. I know you want what’s best for me, and God knows we’ve had to be patient before.”

A small smile broke out on her face. He really was a marshmallow of a man. He was gruff but understanding, even rational when necessary. He stood there, by the bed, his hands holding her shoulders. His clean, soapy scent overwhelmed her senses. She put a hand tentatively on his shoulders, pulling herself up off of the bed.

She pushed him, hard, towards the wall, catching his lips with hers, in a bruising, crushing kiss. His lips were open for a second in surprise, but found their way as his fingers splay against her back, bringing her closer to him. “What…?”

Pulling back slightly, she spoke into his lips in breaks between kissing, “I’ve changed my mind.”

Drake groaned, pausing for just a moment, leaving a small trail of kisses up her neck, “I’ve literally never been happier to hear that. We’ll take it slow though, okay? Will that make you feel better?”

“No,” the assertiveness in her voice surprised even Riley, “I’m so tired of being gentle. I want this badly, and I …don’t want you to be gentle, Drake,” she pushed her hips roughly into his, feeling him growing against her.

There was silence for a beat, as he pulled away slightly and regarded her, his eyes searching hers.

“Are you…. are you sure?” his voice was low, rougher than it had been before.

 She swallowed. Her mouth was unbelievably dry. “I’m sure.”

He moved suddenly, barely giving her time to react. He pushed her onto the bed, his body on top of hers. His mouth was hot, leaving trails of kisses from her jaw down to her collar bone. His hand slid into her jeans, dangerously low, his imploring thumb only an inch away from her.

His voice was strained, even raspier this time, “Sure?”

She sucked in a breath, words failing her, trying to keep from writhing around as his thumb inched _painfully_ closer. She nodded, “Yes,” barely a whisper. He looked at her briefly, his eyes darkening.  

Everything happened at once. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, relishing the lingering taste of coffee on her lips and tongue. His thumb pushed lower, stroking her in hard circles, causing Riley to arch her back and gasp into his mouth. He used his free hand to brace her against the bed, and moved on to kissing her chin, jaw, and neck.

He moved down to her breasts, licking and biting rougher than Riley was expecting, an appreciative moan escaping from her parted lips. His kisses and licks left hot patches on her skin, the scruff on his face rubbing roughly against her. His mouth moved down to her belly button, sliding lower as he breathed against her skin. He stood abruptly and pulled her jeans and panties down with a rough heave.  Without warning, he leaned back down, spread her legs and buried his tongue deep within her. Riley nearly bucked off of the bed.

The last time they had been intimate, despite the unmistakable passion, Drake had been loving and slow. Now, with her permission, he was a man possessed. His hands, his mouth, and his body were hers.  No part of him held back. It was a heady feeling to know that right now, his entire world revolved around _her._

His tongue was so erratic it was dizzying. She could make no rhyme or reason to his movements: from thrusting in and out of her, running light circles around her most sensitive parts, to sucking at various intensities. She could sense his frenetic excitement to feel and taste every part of her.  She moaned and gasped appropriately, her body growing warmer by the second.

He lifted his head slowly, pushing away from the bed. “Just a second,” he whispered, responding to her angry, exasperated gasps with a small kiss to her mouth. She groaned, trying to deepen the kiss and drag him back, but he pulled away with a smirk, “I promise it won’t be long.”  

He walked quickly to the window. She heard the shuddering screech of metal rings on rods as Drake yanked aside the curtain from his window. Rain pattered hard against the window. A dull light entered the room, making Riley aware of Drake’s face looking straight at her. Despite what they had just been doing, it was the intensity of his look that made her blush.

“I needed to see you.”

Riley felt hyper-aware of him for the first time, seeing _him_ through the haze of lust. Covered with goosebumps, she noticed the size of him: his broad shoulders, bulging arms, and the length of his entire body taking up most of the space from floor to ceiling. In the light, the hunger in his eyes was unmistakable as her walked back towards her.

 “On your knees,” the words came out of him like a pained exhale, commanding and hoarse. The idea that she could make him sound like that made her heart beast faster.

 Riley nodded as she shakily pushed herself onto her knees at the edge of the bed, facing Drake.

His eyes widened in surprise for a second before he started a low, husky chuckle. Taking her face in his hands, Drake pulled Riley into a kiss. Despite starting tenderly, the kiss progressed to hard, making Riley whimper with its intensity as Drake bit and sucked on her bottom lip.  

“You’re mine,” he promised her, releasing her mouth and flipping her around. She felt a little embarrassed as realization dawned that he had been asking her to get on her knees facing _away from him_.  Riley yelped as he pushed her forward, pulling her legs back. He held her still with one hand, using the other to position himself behind her. 

He pulled her hips, advancing steadily but gradually. He pushed forward, exhaling sharply while holding Riley firmly in place. He moaned as the entirety of his length was finally inside of her, her body stretching around him.  He stayed still for a moment, eyes closed.  After momentary shock at his size, Riley moved her hips in frustration, egging him on to move forward. Within a second, he was gripping her hips so hard his knuckles were white. He pushed in and out, deep and hard, unrelenting.  She gasped, feeling both powerless and revered, her body cycling through rushes of pleasure and exquisite pain.

He reached around her body, pinching the tips of her breasts and then moving to between her legs, stroking her rhythmically with his large hands. She squirmed and gasped as his strong fingers simultaneously gave her waves of pleasure and bruised her skin. 

She heard it before she realized it was coming from her: hoarse and pleading, she whispered “More. Harder. Deeper. Harder.” It was her new mantra. She was a woman possessed, in a level of frenzy she hadn’t known before.

“As the lady wishes,” he groaned, pushing deeper into her, hitting the right places with dizzying precision. Her hands braced against the bed, holding her ground against the pounding. 

She wanted it. She _needed_ desperate release. The strength of what was building inside her was staggering, terrifyingly large, and she feared she’d die if it wasn’t liberated soon. 

Finally she could feel it: the rise inside of her caused by his pounding, coupled with the delicious caresses from his fingers between her legs.

She expected a scream or an explosion, but instead she shuddered hard, coming with a long gasp. She could feel it going through her body like boiling hot waves.  She clenched around Drake repeatedly, causing him to lose control. He moaned, moving crazily against her until he, too, found his release. He cried out her name. 

Her body continued to shake, the waves continuing to reverberate around her body, as she gasped again. This was lasting longer than anything she was used to. He rested his hand solidly between her legs as she shook, and then leaned down to kiss her neck, salty with sweat. After the final, most intense wave rushed through her body, she whispered his name and stopped shaking at last.

Her heart was still beating fast, thundering through her ears when Drake pulled her around and met her lips in a soft kiss. Leaning back onto the bed, he extended his arm and Riley moved up to lie in the crook of his neck. Both of them were breathing hard and spent.

He turned to the side, looking into her eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “was that too much?” His voice was quivering, Riley’s heart swelled with the amount of concern she could feel from him.

“It was wonderful,” she breathed, kissing him along his jaw. That was definitely an understatement. Her mind was still reeling, moving too fast for her to express truly how she felt.

He exhaled, visibly relaxed, and nodded. “I can’t disagree. It’s definitely never felt like this before,” he shuddered, running his fingers absentmindedly along her arm. “Thank you. For trusting me. For letting me do that. For giving me _you,_ Brooks. It’s the best gift I’ve ever received.”

The thunder cracked and hissed, no longer the distant rumble of before. To Riley’s surprise, the rain outside was pounding on the windows now. “I guess it’s really coming down, huh?”

Drake smiled at her, “I think we were both a little too busy to notice.”

She grinned.  

Drake breathed heavily, his inhales sharp and noticeable.

“Are you ok?” Riley’s mood shifted quickly, her eyes filling with concern.

Drake nodded, his hand reflexively touching the bandage over his wound. “I’m just a little more worn out than usual. Do you mind if we take a nap?”

Riley nuzzled into him in response, sighing contentedly as Drake pulled his comforter up and around them. He fell asleep almost instantly, his mouth open with soft snores.

As she watched the beautiful man sleep beside her, she thought of the last months of her life. She had come to Cordonia for Liam. She fell in love with Drake instead. She was finally able to _have_ Drake, _honestly have him_ , and almost lost him the same night.

She shivered.

A week ago, she had almost lost _everything._ Her life had almost come to a halt when _he_ had risked his life for her. She had already mourned for him, a man with so much love and promise, wiped out in his prime. Selfishly, she had mourned for herself. She knew she’d never find another like him. She never would have guessed that she’d be here in Drakes home, sleeping next to him as a thunderstorm rolled in.

She leaned up to kiss his cheek lightly. He sighed, deep in sleep, pulling her closer to him.

 Whatever she had done to deserve this, whatever had led her to this man – she was thankful. And for the first time in a long time, _tomorrow_ was full of promise.

With that thought, Riley fell asleep with a smile on her face.

 

 

 

 

****************************************************************************************************

 

Hope you guys enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it :). I can't wait to write the next chapter! YAY!!!! :) 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley and Drake's first morning in his family's house in the woods. Unexpected visitors and LEMON ahead!!!!

***

He could feel a lump in his throat. It replayed over and over in his head. In his dreams, he _never_ got in front of her in time, and he saw her get shot _again and again._ He could feel a dry sob in his throat, growing with frustration until a warm hand cupped his jaw.

_“Drake,”_ a voice whispered, _”wake up, Drake. It’s ok. Everything is ok.”_

He leaned towards the voice. It sounded safe, full of concern, finally breaking the relentless cycle of Riley getting hit by that bullet. His eyes opened with a start.

There she was.

The beauty of her face was still apparent in the relative dark of early morning. Sparse sunlight was streaming in through the curtains. He breathed. _I’m home._

The fast beating of his heart and the rapid rise and fall of his chest slowed as he looked into her eyes. “Sorry if I scared you,” he whispered, lifting his large hand to stroke the side of her face. 

She smiled. “You were thrashing around a lot, but...,” she bit her lip, unsure of the best way to continue, “…but you’ve been through a _lot_ in the last few days. Bad dreams aren’t surprising.”

He nodded somberly.  They adjusted, both lying on their sides, facing each other. The longer he looked at her, the more his dream faded into nothingness. She was here, _in front of him. Alive. Safe._

He sighed, pulling her body against his into a deep kiss. Her lips were soft and lazy with sleep, moving against his slowly. Running his hand down her back, he was shocked to realize that she was still completely naked.

He inhaled with surprise, his hands moving down her backside as he squeezed. She yelped lightly in shock, pulling her free hand up to tangle her fingers in his hair.

_A naked Riley. Here. In bed with me._

He could barely believe his luck.

Even though it had only been hours, he _needed_ her again. His hand moved down the front of her body to between her legs, she parted them and leaned back, giving him better access. He chuckled. _She wants this as badly as I do._

He pushed her onto her back, leaning down to kiss her mouth, his tongue teasing hers for a second before he moved away, leaving slow, wet kisses on her jaw, down her neck, in between her breasts.

He relished in the sounds she made, gasping and moaning, her fingers running sporadically over his arms and back. He wanted badly to get on top of her and bury himself deep, as deep as he could, inside of her. But his mind kept going back to how she came the night before – with that _gasp._ He shuddered. More than anything, even more than he wanted to be inside of her, he _needed_ to hear her _gasp_ again.

His hand trailed up to her inner thigh,  his fingers moving to her most sensitive area. They shifted, roughly up and down, as she pushed herself towards him. He tried in vain to slow himself down, but couldn’t help his hands from moving desperately against her. From the sighs and moans coming from her parted lips, she didn’t seem to mind.

He took a moment to look at Riley, her eyes squeezed closed as her arms were rigid on her sides, fingers gripping the mattress.  Her dark hair flowed in waves around her shoulders as she moved against his hand. Her breasts shook in rhythm with her, and her hard nipples were a deep pink contrast against her bronzed, lightly freckled skin.

He gulped dryly, amazed at his luck for the second time since he woke up.

Lifting his other hand from the mattress, he sucked a finger before pushing it inside of her. He sighed, amazed at how he affected this woman, the smooth velvet of her insides soaked through and through. He pushed in another finger, moving in and out of her rhythmically with one hand, the other still moving against her pleasure point.

 Her back arched as her excitement rose. She breathed his name, twice, then three times. “Drake…”

Her voice sounded like an elastic rubber band that might soon break, stretched by the expanse of her desire. He exhaled sharply, watching, waiting for the release he was working so steadily towards.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Drake cursed under his breath as someone rapped against his front door. Riley sat up completely, her lips parted with shock. Who on earth could be here so early?

Riley met his gaze, mirroring the irritation he felt. Her eyes were wide and  dark with want. Drake wanted nothing more than to go to the door and yell at whoever interrupted them.  

He cleared his throat, “I should….go see who that is.”

She groaned as her fingers moved down her stomach, starting to touch herself tentatively.

“Don’t,” he whispered, pulling her hand away. He breathed heavily, his eyes making unwavering contact with hers. “I want to do it myself.”

With that, he threw on some sweat pants and a t-shirt and closed the bedroom door behind him.

***

Riley cursed as Drake left the room. “Fuck.”

She leaned back onto the bed, her forearm resting on her forehead. She had been _so_ close. Her body was still buzzing and bubbling with excitement inside of her. She squeezed her legs together. She wanted so badly to finish herself off before heading outside. _It would literally take seconds._

But the way Drake had looked at her when he asked her not to….

She swallowed hard. She would wait for him. She squeezed her legs again, feeling the rise in her still present, and so _close…_

But she would wait.

Liam’s voice came from the front door, muffled. _Oh shit,_ Riley thought, grabbing her jeans from the floor and pulling them on quickly. She ducked under the bed and looked around for her shirt, but couldn’t find it.

She felt the guilt settling into her stomach. Since she contacted Liam for help with Drake’s truck the day before, she hadn’t looked at her phone or contacted him _once._

“How’s Riley?” she heard Liam’s muffled voice through the door, the concern evident.

How could she have forgotten to contact Liam, after everything with the assassins going on? She needed to get out there and apologize.

_Shit,_ she thought again, throwing the comforter and pillows around, desperate at this point to find something to cover up with.

Finally, she opened the door to Drake’s closet, grabbing a soft, grey sweatshirt off a hanger. She pulled it on, relishing for only a moment in how much it smelled like Drake. It had a faded “Cordonia University” logo on it, making Riley’s heart pang painfully, thinking of the boy who had left university to take care of his best friend years ago.

To her annoyance, Drake didn’t have a mirror in his room, so Riley ran her fingers through her hair, quickly trying to smooth it, and exhaled sharply. That would have to do.

She stepped outside quickly and walk-ran into the living room. “I’m so sor—“

The look on Liam’s face stopped her dead in her tracks. His eyes widened, his gaze was harder than she was used to. It dawned on her that he hadn’t been expecting her to be there.

His eyes went up and down over her sweatshirt, and she could’ve sworn she saw him frown, almost indiscernibly. His eyes lingered on her face, just a little too long. It made Riley shift uncomfortably. He smiled quickly, but she knew him well enough to know it was a mask.

“Riley, I..”

“Sorry, Liam. I know I should’ve texted, or called, but we just got preoccupied…” she clamped her lips shut, wishing she hadn’t said anything.

His fake smile grew wider, “I understand! Drake probably had some,” his eyes ran over her face and sweatshirt again, “--things to attend to.”

His eyes turned back to Drake, his face relaxing slightly into something more genuine, “I’m so glad you’re ok. Just wanted to come say hi and talk for a minute about the- er, situation in court.”

Riley was about to say something else when she caught sight of her reflection. Her hair was unmistakably sex-tousled, her cheeks were still bright pink, and she could see just the _hint_ of a hickey on her jaw. Her cheeks were growing progressively warmer.

As if it wasn’t enough she had turned Liam down recently, now she was basically rubbing it in his face. She held her composure, and cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I think I’m going to run take a shower.”

Without waiting for a response, Riley turned a heel and left the room, rushing towards the bathroom with clipped steps.

She shut the door quickly and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, her head in her hands. _Liam._

She didn’t like him romantically, but she had never wanted to hurt him. It couldn’t be easy to see his barely-recovered-best-friend obviously _sleeping_ with the woman he had proposed to weeks ago.

She sat there for minutes, her eyes closed, trying to think through everything she felt: guilty, happy, and _still_ horny. She squeezed her thighs together again, her body protesting at the lack of touch. She so badly wanted to stroke herself, her hand even running down to her inner thigh, before she stopped.  

Something about the way Drake had asked her not to held her back. She sat motionless for a moment, staring forward. The sound of easy laughter from the living room broke her out of her trance.

Riley sighed. She supposed she could actually use a shower, anyway. She turned on the shower for only a second before stepping in, taking the onslaught of still-cold water as punishment for the guilt in her stomach.

***

Drake waved goodbye to Liam, his heart a bit lighter after they had a chance to speak alone. Especially after Riley practically _ran away_ from their conversation. He had always loved the fact that conversations with Liam didn’t need to be long to be effective.

They had talked about the concern Liam had felt when Drake was in the hospital, how he understood that what Riley and Drake had was _real_ , and how he still wanted the both of them in his life _._

They had also talked about the fact that the assassins that had stormed the palace a week ago were captured, but the _organization that led them_ was still operational, sending Liam threats every few hours (two of Liam's guards stood outside the front door while they spoke) .  

Liam had been happy that Drake and Riley were away from the palace, and was hopeful that it meant that they’d be safer.

He was assigning some palace guards to Drake’s house, and they’d be arriving within the next few days. If Drake had been alone, he would’ve insisted that Liam keep those guards at the palace, that he’d be _fine_ in the woods by himself.

_But Riley._

He sighed. He’d deal with any breach of privacy and _any_ annoyance if it meant she’d be safer. Hell, he’d risk his life to save her as many times as he needed to. The thought made him tired.

He walked towards the bathroom door.  He could hear her in there, humming something lightly, steam escaping through the door. His heart swelled, knowing she was only feet away from him. And for now, safe.

***

The shower was finally hot enough to enjoy. Riley giggled, using Drake’s utilitarian bar of soap, knowing she shouldn’t have expected him to have body wash, much less a loofa. She looked at his shampoo-conditioner combo with only _slight_ disdain before rubbing it into her scalp.

At least it smelled really good. Kind of like she’d expect a cold mountain stream to smell, if you bottled it and made it soapy. _Like Drake,_ she thought, inhaling deeply.

She had seen _Psycho_ enough times to jump a little when she heard the door to the bathroom creak open. “Hello?”

“Hey Brooks.” The sound of his voice made Riley exhale with relief.

She heard him close the door, and he hesitated for only a second before she heard his pants fall the ground with a thump. “Mind if I join you?”

She gulped. “N-not at all.”

He chuckled deeply, pulling aside the shower curtain with a sharp _shkkkk_ before stepping in beside her. “Hey,” he smiled, his hands going around her waist and pulling her close to him.

She regarded him, pausting for only a moment before she pounced. She had questions to ask about Liam, but couldn’t hold herself back anymore. Groaning, she pulled his face down to hers in a searing, wet kiss. Her tongue rubbed his wantonly before he retreated slightly. His eyes searched hers as he held his face only inches away.

She gasped as his fingers reached down to her. He spread her wide and ran a finger inside of her. He moaned as he found her, deliciously wet, always ready. Just like this morning. She could see the effect this had on him, his pupils blown wide with lust. 

“Did you touch yourself?” he asked, his voice harder, hoarser than before.

“No,” she shook her head, her hands running down his backside as she pressed against him. “I wanted to, but I didn’t.”

He groaned again, dropping, surprisingly gracefully, to his knees before rewarding her with his tongue, stroking her in slow, long licks against her core.

Without missing a beat, she gasped loudly, her knees almost buckling under the weight of the pleasure he was giving her. Her fingers ran through his long hair, pulling him closer. Taking in the situation she was in, her body shook wildly.

The hot water fell hard down her body, the lingering scent of shampoo mixed in with the steam enveloping the bathroom. Drake sat on his knees, his hair wet with the water cascading off of her body onto him. _And his tongue._

He was relentless, never backing off for a beat. This time, it wasn’t so he could explore her – it was _all for her._ The realization pushed her over the edge, and she shuddered hard before nearly falling. She could hear herself hissing “yes” over and over as he held her steady, fingers splayed against her stomach, his mouth still on her. She leaned her head back and moaned. 

He stood up and kissed her softly. “Every now and then, good things will happen if you listen to me,” he smiled and kissed her again, “Just in the bedroom, of course. I don’t think you’d be _you_ if you started listening to me in regular life.”

She attempted to playfully swat at him, but missed badly, her cheeky smile faltering. Her knees were still shaking a tiny bit and _it just wasn’t enough._ She kissed him again, whimpering against his lips, “More.”

He responded instantaneously, lifting her out of the shower and carrying her to living room, her legs wrapped around his wet torso.

He took her to the chaise, dropping her on it before falling on top of her. His kisses were slow and deliberate, but turned wild and erratic as she writhed against him, pushing herself into him again and again. She needed him to know that she _didn’t_ need him to hold back, so she showed him, biting his shoulder and neck, using her arms to pull him closer frantically.

“Oh God, Riley,” he cried before entering her at once, filling her in one fell swoop.

His hands moved up her arms, grabbing her wrists and holding them down against the cushion. He pulled out completely and filled her hard, again and again, her body aching with the expanse of him between her thighs. She felt pleasure rise and fall within herself repeatedly. Not as intense as before, but small, warm spikes of bliss went from her fingertips to her toes as she arched against him. She gasped his name, maybe hundreds of times.  

Finally he thrust deeply into her and groaned, staying in her as he found his release. Riley couldn’t keep her eyes off of his handsome face, his eyes closed in ecstasy, as he filled her with himself.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, leaning down to kiss her messily, before lying down next to her on the wide chaise. “What the hell have you done to me, Brooks?” he sighed, before facing to look at her.

She smiled at him, “I could ask you the same, you know.”

They rested for a few minutes in silence, letting their bodies recover as they stroked each other lazily.

She scrunched her face, wondering if she could say what she was thinking. “Drake,” she paused as he looked at her, expectantly. “Well, I’m um. We haven’t really been using protection. Which really isn’t like me,” she felt a little embarrassed, “especially since I’m not on birth control.”

He searched her eyes for a moment. “Well, obviously we should probably, uh, do something. But if,” he paused, looking away for a second, “If something _did_ happen, by accident, I’m sure we could work it out,” he paused again before looking into her eyes pointedly, “together.” 

She smiled at him. How could she expect anything less from a giant marshmallow? “Thanks, Drake.” She moved closer, resting her head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her.

***

Drake had never thought kids would be something he’d consider, but the thought of having them with Riley one day didn’t faze him. He’d do anything with her.

He thought back to what Liam said about assassins. Sure, he was friends with the most powerful man in the country, but was that enough protection?

Drake sat up, handing Riley the sweatshirt she had been wearing, practically a dress on her, and pulling on his black sweatpants. He was thoughtful for a moment, staring at the ceiling before finally looking at her, “I think we should get out of Cordonia.”

“What?!”

“We should go somewhere safer.”

“But Drake! There’s Liam, and this…this is your home-“

“Brooks,” he turned towards her, holding her face with her hands. He didn’t have the words to tell her that _she_ was his home, and that was all he needed. Sure, Liam was important to him, a _brother_ really. But Drake’s priority had shifted the moment she stepped into Cordonia.

“Will you at least think about it?”

She looked at him, biting her lip in thought. “I can think about it.”

He nodded, closing his eyes before kissing her again, pouring the entirety of his feelings into his lips against her.  Finally he pulled away, barely breathing, “I love you, Riley.”

They weren’t words that came easily for him, but at this moment he could barely keep them from spilling out. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, “Drake…”

He didn’t care if she said them back, but he needed her to know how he felt. Her eyes looked misty as she repeated, “Drake, I…”

Her words were cut off as the door blasted open, a man with a mask on rushed in. For a split second, Drake thought he was dreaming. Was this all another nightmare?

It all happened so fast. The intruder raised a gun in Riley’s direction.Drake stood up swiftly, putting himself in front of her, “Get _away from her!”_

The man laughed, pointing his gun in Drake’s direction. He shrugged. “I have more than 2 bullets, why not both?” his voice was high and cold.

“Drake, _NO!”_ Riley ran in front of him as the bullet was unleashed, it went through her stomach as she fell back into Drake’s arms. She looked up at him, coughing weakly, “it’s me they want, Drake.”

With that, her head slumped, her eyes rolling backwards. 

Drake's face felt hot, with hurt and anger. “Brooks? Brooks? RILEY!”  

***

: ) thanks for reading, ya'll! - Next chapter (the last one) should be out by Thursday at the latest. - HPLM86


	4. Finale + Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The finale!!! AHHHHH!!!

***

 Blood pooled out of Riley’s stomach. Drake held the wound closed for a second as his heart pounded hard in his ears. _No._

Slow footsteps made the floor boards creak behind him. He could see by the reflection on a framed photo that the assailant was pointing the gun towards Riley’s head, shuffling forward. He wanted to finish the job.

_Please_ he thought to himself in silent prayer. _Please let this work._ With that, Drake turned around and tackled the intruder by the legs.

He yelped in surprise, scrambling as the gun fell with a loud _thud_ on the wooden floor. They battled for a few moments: Drake trying to hold the intruder back, the intruder desperately reaching for the gun.

Finally, Drake managed to kick the gun further away, holding the masked man down by the sheer weight of his large body. “I…won’t…let you get away with this!” his voice strained with exertion.

Drake sat up on the man, punching him solidly in the jaw until he slumped back, unconscious. He pulled off the mask, eyes lingering only for a moment on a face he didn’t recognize.

He shot up, running to Riley. His hands shook as he squeezed her fingertips with one hand and called an ambulance with the other.

***

They carted her into the hospital: she was breathing, but she had lost a lot of blood. That’s what the paramedics kept telling him on the drive, anyway.

Drake cursed. This was the first time he had ever felt bad about how far he lived from town. It had been a long drive from the hospital. He swallowed dryly, hoping the distance wouldn’t make the difference between life and death.

They had asked him to stay in the waiting room. He paced back and forth, one hand on the back of his neck. He had notified Liam, Maxwell and Hana on the drive over but was semi ignoring his phone, reading the texts but not responding. Liam was sending over someone to pick up the assailant on Drake’s living room floor, but it was the furthest thing from his mind.

_Riley._

His pacing was getting more and more frantic.

Finally, he couldn’t take anymore. He pushed through the double doors leading to the operating rooms, ignoring the elderly nurse yelling “Sir!” at him repeatedly while running behind him.

“I need to see her,” he admitted out loud to no one in particular. He was trying to sound angry, but his voice wavered, giving him away.

He was practically running past the windows in the hall until something stopped him dead in his tracks. _There she was._ Through the window on the right.

Her dark hair was fanned around her on the hospital bed. She looked pale; unnaturally, terrifyingly pale.

Drake could feel his heart in his throat. He could see a bloody pan with bullet fragments to her side, and the doctor pulling up fresh bags of blood. It was the same doctor that had treated and discharged Drake just _yesterday._ It felt like years ago.

The doctor spotted him, signaled to her assistant to continue, and stepped out of the operating room.

Pulling her face mask down, she gave him a sad smile. “Mr. Walker,” she nodded, “we have to stop meeting like this.”

He couldn’t bother with pleasantries anymore. “Is she going to be ok? Give it to me straight.” His eyes flitted between the doctor’s face and Riley’s, not wanting to look away for even a second.

Drake jumped a little when she put a hand on his forearm. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

He closed his eyes, his head dropping a bit.

“But your wife’s a fighter, Mr. Walker. And we have her blood type available. It’s too early to say for sure, and she’s going to need some time, but she has a good chance.” She patted his arm lightly.

The doctor continued to describe how the bullet managed to miss her vital organs, which was lucky, and how they both should really take better care of themselves, but Drake could hardly hear her. He just knew that whatever he had to do, however many days it would take, he’d be there.

***

Days progressed and Riley’s condition improved. She woke up soon after the bullet removal and transfusion, but was mostly listless on pain medication.

Drake spent days sitting by her side, reading to her from some of the books from Liam’s library. He wasn’t sure she was always listening, but he felt in his core that it helped, somehow. Maybe it helped him more than Riley. When she slept, he alternated between staring at her (to make sure she was breathing) and walking around to the shops in vicinity of the hospital.

He’d linger at the shops, looking at things Riley would like. Some of the things Riley _deserved._ She deserved everything. He couldn’t give her a kingdom like Liam, no, but he could make her feel an abundance of love for as long as she would let him.

As the days progressed, she was getting more and more lucid. The doctor said she was basically in the clear now, and Drake felt so happy his heart could burst.

He knocked on the door for a second before heading into her room, a small box of lo mein in his hands from the Chinese restaurant half a mile away.

“Delivery for Brooks!” he nearly walked into Hana as he made his way to the hospital bed.

“Sorry Drake,” Hana giggled, “I was just heading out. See you soon, Riley!”

Drake and Hana nodded to each other politely, before she clicked the door closed behind her. “Hey beautiful,” he breathed. He meant it: her face was looking more and more _like Riley_ the more she recovered.

“Hey, Walker! What do you have for me today?”

“Your favorite,” he handed her the box of noodles, “I asked them to make it extra spicy this time. But you know, Cordonians aren’t exactly known for their spice tolerance.”  

She squealed, grabbing the box and digging in, her mouth practically bulging with lo mein. “Fank yoo!”

He chuckled. Hospital food really did suck. “Listen, Brooks…. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Sensing the seriousness in his voice, she put the box of food down and swallowed. “Shoot.”

He walked towards her bed, kissing her tenderly on the forehead, his eyes searching hers.

“I just…. before you got shot, I said something. I need you to know,  Brooks….Riley. I need you to know what you mean to me. How much I love you.” Her face was unreadable as he continued, “I don’t expect anything back, and hell, I’m happy with whatever you give me. But I need to know how you feel.”

He paused, trying to maintain eye contact. He wanted badly to look away until she responded, but he held strong. She stared at him, impassive for a few seconds. He finally noticed that her eyes were glistening. “Drake,” she breathed, “you have to know by now how much I love you.”

His heart felt like it was about to explode. “Brooks, I—“

She held her hand up. “Let me finish. While I’d _never_ say that what we’ve been through recently has been….good,” she shuddered, “I think we can at least safely say that we’d both take a bullet for each other. Oh, Drake, how could you not know how much I love you?”

He closed his eyes, feeling more at peace than he ever had. “Well, since…since that’s how you feel…..”

He saw Riley’s eyes widen as he pulled out a box from his pocket. “I’ve been walking around the shops a lot when you’ve been sleeping. And I kept….I kept coming back to this.”

He opened the box slowly, looking away, hoping she’d like it as much as he did. It was a round cut ruby ring with a thin rose gold band.

Her eyes moved back and forth, from the ring to his face, “Drake?”

He squeezed one of her hands, “it reminds me of the first time you dressed up for court. The masquerade?” she nodded, “you wore that red devil dress. I didn’t really know you yet, but that was the first time I knew you’d be trouble.”

He smiled before continuing, “And I know…I know I should get down on one knee. But it doesn’t make sense because your hospital bed is so high, and---“

She cut him off by pulling him into a hard kiss. He held her face with his hands, deepening the kiss, not minding the salty taste of her tears.

“I love it. And….yes,” she breathed, “I mean, mostly just because the hospital staff thinks we’re married anyway.”

He grinned at her, kissing her again. “I know it’s crazy. We’ve only known each other a few months but…. two near death experiences later and-“ he shrugged, “-when you know, you know.”

***

After a few minutes of (somewhat wet) kissing, they were interrupted by a quick knock on the door, “Hello!” Liam’s voice rang through. Drake walked towards Liam and hugged him tightly, picking him up a little.

“Whoa, whoa!” Liam laughed, “what’s going on?”

 “She said yes, Liam! You’re officially on best man duty.” He cupped his shoulder hard with his hand.  

Liam broke out into a grin, “Did she like the ring?” Riley look puzzled, “he only showed it to me 80 times, planning the proposal over and over.”

Riley smiled at Drake. It seemed like the weirdness with Liam was finally gone.

She loved seeing them together. She loved seeing Drake smile even more. Seeing him the last few days, how horribly he felt with her in the hospital, how sad he was…. she just couldn’t do it again.

“And,” Riley continued, grabbing Drake’s hand, “We’re going to move back to New York together!”

Drake looked shocked for a moment, before a knowing smile broke out on his face. “Yes,” he looked at Riley, his eyes thankful. He squeezed her hand, “yes, we are.”

***

_Epilogue: 1 year later_

The plane shook mercilessly. Drake squeezed Riley’s hand a little, his breathing a little shaky. She couldn’t help but smile at him.

It was hard to believe that her giant, brave, muscular husband was a little afraid of flying. After a year of moving to New York, going back to Greece for the wedding, and traveling all over Europe for their honeymoon (a gift from Liam, on his private jet), you’d think he’d be used to flying.

She kissed his cheek tenderly, “turbulence is normal, love. Don’t worry.”

He smiled at her weakly, “I’m fine!” the slight waver in his voice giving him away. “I’m just going to head to the restroom for a minute.”

She watched as he carefully stepped down the aisle and shut the airport lavatory door behind him. She chuckled, knowing exactly what he was doing. Whenever he was nervous, he splashed his face with water.  

Leaning back in her seat, she sighed. The last year had been a whirlwind. After the two attacks on her life, Riley had turned down the duchy Liam had offered her, opting instead to open up a stable with Drake in upstate New York. They had started out in New York City, but moved to a cabin further north, away from “too many fucking people,” as Drake so eloquently put it.

Today they were _finally_ heading back to Cordonia. It had been a year since they left, and even though they were happy, Riley knew Drake missed the apples, the warm weather, and Liam.

A month ago, the Liam’s guards had finally caught the organization responsible for all of the attacks against Riley. After a lot of reassurance from Liam, Drake was finally ok with going back, just for a visit. After all, Walker Stables had a lot of kids waiting for horse riding lessons when they got back to the states.

She knew Liam would offer them a duchy again, asking them to come back. But she also knew they’d say no. A simple life, horses, the trees, each other – that was all they needed.

Plus, she wasn’t sure she’d want to raise a child at court. Riley felt her stomach tentatively. She had just taken a pregnancy test that morning, and it came back positive. She hadn’t told Drake yet, wanting to wait for the flight to be over so he could hear the news without anxiety.

She smiled to herself. They never did get much better at using birth control.

Turning around, she wondered why Drake _still_ hadn’t come back. Most of the passengers were asleep on the transatlantic portion of their flight, so she tiptoed to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

Drake opened the door with a perplexed look on his face, easing into a smile when he saw it was Riley. “Walker,” he whispered, stroking her face with his hand, “I’ll be out in just a minute, don’t worry.”

She grinned at him, “I just thought you could use some company,” she pushed him in with her, locking the door and winking at him.

“What?” his eyes widened with surprise.  

“I just thought you could use something to relax you.” She unceremoniously pulled down his pants and crouched down.

“Come on, this is….” He interrupted himself by groaning loudly.

She held him in her hands before running her tongue over the length of him. Taking his base in her hands, she put him in her mouth completely, running her fingers and mouth from base to tip.

She continued for a few minutes before he pulled her up, hard against his lips. He kissed her deeply before pulling back and smirking, “it’s always kind of weird when you taste like me,” he pulled her up to the sink before yanking down her leggings, “but I can deal.”

He put his hands behind her head, a barrier between her and the bathroom mirror. He pushed into her with a moan, making quick work of moving in and out. His lips stayed on her in a loose kiss to keep them quiet, Riley gasping into his mouth as they finished together.

She kissed him softly as he set her down, off of the sink. “Do you think we’ll ever get tired of that?”

He thought seriously for a moment. “No. I don’t.”

She pulled her leggings up from around her ankles and smacked him on the shoulder. “Even if I’m huge and cranky?” her thoughts returned to the pregnancy test.

He looked at her seriously before laughing, “even then!”

They opened the lavatory door cautiously, making their way back to their seats. If anyone had heard them, they weren’t making it known.

At their seats, Riley leaned her head on Drake’s shoulder, feeling his cheek slump to the top of her head as he fell into a peaceful slumber. She giggled as he started snoring softly.

She looked out of the window, contemplative in the darkness. They were going back to see their friends. But she knew, at the end of the day, it always came down to Drake. _Drake and her. A family. A unit._ The baby would just add to that, a living manifestation of the love they shared. 

She imagined them as parents, feeling her pulse quicken with the thought. She inhaled sharply. Especially without much support around in New York, transitioning to a family of three wouldn’t be easy.  Sleeping Drake instinctively wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and sighed. She exhaled. No matter what, he would be there for her. And she would be there for him.  

He was the gust of fresh air in the stagnant, still life she lived before she moved to Cordonia. Every now and then, when something seemed scary or difficult, she simply needed to feel that air billowing around her and breathe.

_Just_ _breathe_.

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for going on this journey with me! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it <3


End file.
